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Ephemeris: 02/07/2025 – GTAS meeting tonight – Earth’s Impact Craters
This is Ephemeris for Friday, February 7th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 6:00, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:52. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 5:36 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host its February meeting tonight at 8 PM at Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph H. Rogers Observatory. The talk for the evening will be given by Society President, and Observatory Director, Jerry Dobek on the topic of Earth’s Impact Craters. Unlike the Moon, Earth’s impact craters have been mostly hidden. After the meeting, about 9 PM if it’s clear, there will be viewing of the heavens through the observatory’s telescopes, featuring Jupiter, the Moon and the Great Orion Nebula, which will be hindered a bit by moonlight. The observatory is located on Birmley Road. South of Traverse City between Garfield and Keystone roads. All are welcome, free of charge.
The meeting is also available on Zoom. The link is at gtastro.org
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 01/03/2025 – GTAS Telescope Clinic tonight
This is Ephemeris for Friday, January 3rd. The Sun will rise at 8:20. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 5:15. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 9:37 this evening.
Did you or someone in your family get a telescope for Christmas, or have one in a closet or attic because you don’t know how to put it together or how to operate it? Or maybe you are trying to figure out which one to buy. Well, tonight’s your night. The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will host the annual Telescope Clinic starting at 8 pm at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. Professor Jerry Dobek will demonstrate the types of telescopes and how to use them. He and other members may be able to help particular problems by seeing participants telescopes, so “bring ‘em if you’ve got ‘em.” This is interesting to say the least. Go to gtastro.org for information and a Zoom link for the meeting.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 12/06/2024 – Historical search for the Star of Bethlehem tonight
This is Ephemeris for Friday, December 6th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 56 minutes, setting at 5:02, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:06. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 10:31 this evening.
Tonight at 8 p.m. I will be giving a talk investigating what the Star of Bethlehem may have been. This will be at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road. The talk is a scientific treatment of the matter, rather than a religious one. We’ll look at the usual suspects for what the star may have been. And we’ll see what the Gospel writers may have gotten right and possibly wrong. We’ll look at historical writings and recorded Chinese observations of the heavens around that time. I will augment this with computer simulations of what might be important celestial events visible around that time. There is no admission charge. There will be viewing of the skies afterward if it’s clear.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 11/01/2024 – Grand Traverse Astronomical Society Meeting tonight
This is Ephemeris for Friday, November 1st. The Sun will rise at 8:21. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 9 minutes, setting at 6:30. The Moon is new today, and won’t be visible.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host its November meeting tonight at 8:00 PM at Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph H Rogers Observatory. This will be an unstructured meeting, and a good time for anyone interested to ask knowledgeable members anything about the sky or, since Christmas is coming, about what kind of telescope to buy. Afterward, about 9 PM if it’s clear, there will be viewing of the heavens through the observatory’s telescopes, featuring Saturn, Jupiter and the wonders of the Milky Way, including nebulae, open and globular star clusters, containing hundreds to hundreds of thousands of stars. The observatory is located on Birmley Rd. South of Traverse City between Garfield and Keystone roads.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.
Addendum
One of the discussion items will be the currently active sun in how it affects the earth.
Ephemeris: 10/04/2024 – GTAS meeting & star party tonight
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, October 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 31 minutes, setting at 7:16, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:46. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 7:51 this evening. | The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host its October meeting tonight at 8:00 PM at Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph H Rogers Observatory, featuring the society’s Library Telescope program. For over five years now the society has given small telescopes to a number of local libraries and branches to lend out. It has been quite successful. After the meeting, about 9 PM if it’s clear, there will be viewing of the heavens through the observatory’s telescopes, featuring Saturn and the wonders of the Milky Way, including nebulae, open and globular star clusters, containing hundreds to hundreds of thousands of stars. The observatory is located on Birmley Rd. South of Traverse City between Garfield and Keystone roads.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 09/13/2024 – International Observe the Moon Night tomorrow
This is Ephemeris for Friday, September 13th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 36 minutes, setting at 7:56, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:21. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 2:25 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow night, if it’s clear, will be the last star party of the year at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore starting at 9 PM if it is clear. It coincides with the International Observe the Moon Night, which is held annually in September or October near the first quarter moon, give or take a few days. Hosting the event will be the Park Rangers and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society. Also featured will be the planet Saturn which is exhibiting some very thin rings this year. The 2020s appears to be the decade of the Moon with the United States and its European and Canadian partners, China, Russia, and even India interested in landing instruments and people on the Moon. So far this decade only China and India have had completely successful landings of spacecraft on the Moon.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.
Ephemeris: 09/06/2024 – Grand Traverse Astronomical Meeting Tonight
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, September 6th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 8:09, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:12. The Moon, 4 days past new, will set at 9:26 this evening.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host its September meeting tonight at 8:00 PM at Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph H Rogers Observatory, which is located on Birmley Rd. South of Traverse City between Garfield and Keystone roads. The program topic will be a surprise, at least to me. After the meeting about 9:00 PM if it’s clear there will be viewing of the heavens through the observatory’s telescopes, featuring possibly the Moon and Saturn, the first of which may be too low or be obstructed, and when it’s darker the wonders of the Milky Way will be visible including nebulae, open star clusters, and my favorite globular star clusters, spherical masses of hundreds of thousands of stars, as old as the Milky Way itself.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 08/30/2024 – Star party tomorrow night
This is Ephemeris for Friday, August 30th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 18 minutes, setting at 8:22, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:04. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 4:11 tomorrow morning.
Weather permitting, a Star Party will be held tomorrow night at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at the Dune Climb. The viewing will start at 9 pm. These events will be hosted by the park rangers and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society, who will bring their telescopes to view the heavens, including the planet Saturn and the wonders of the summer Milky Way. The telescopes will be setup in the parking area closest to the dune. While twilight fades Saturn will be about the only object to view in the east-southeast. As it gets darker more and more wonders of the Milky Way will be seen. They include star clusters and nebulae, clouds of gas and dust that lie in abundance in the Milky Way.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 08/09/2024 – Star Party tomorrow night!
This is Ephemeris for Friday, August 9th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 8:56, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:40. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 11:03 this evening.
Tomorrow The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be part of the Port Oneida Rural Arts and Culture Fair, an event sponsored by the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The society will bring their telescopes to the Thoreson Farm on South Thoreson Road off M22 North of Glen Arbor for a Star Party beginning at 9 p.m. South Thoreson Road is a loop off M22. On tap will be the fat waxing crescent Moon and some of the brighter wonders of the summer sky. Even though the moonlit skies will be bright, there are plenty of wonders still visible in the telescopes. We might have a shot at Saturn later in the evening along with a few bright Perseid meteors to wow the viewer. The peak of the Perseid meteor shower will be Monday morning after the Moon sets.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 07/26/2024 – View the Sun from the Sleeping Bear Dunes tomorrow
Sorry, I’ve posted this a bit late.
This is Ephemeris for Friday, July 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 9:14, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:24. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 12:03 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow, Saturday, July 27th there will be solar viewing at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, at the Dune Climb from 3 to 6 PM. Park Rangers will be joined by members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society with their specially filtered telescopes to view the sun safely. This is a period of great solar activity. Remember the Northern Lights of last month? Solar filtered telescopes will safely view the surface of the sun, called the photosphere and sunspots, while the society also has two special solar telescopes with which to view the layer of gas above the surface called the chromosphere and prominences which look like flames coming off the chromosphere. This is the last of the two solar observing opportunities this summer.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
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